Our regular test bike has been shod with Schwalbe’s new One race tyre for several weeks, allowing us to provide an early report after an initial 500 miles.
The One is Schwalbe’s latest rubber for the gathered forces of Radioshack-Leopard, FDJ, and AG2R-La Mondiale, and debuted at the Tour de France. They arrived at RCUK Towers shortly afterwards. We’ve been testing them since early August.
As fans of Schwalbe’s Ultremo ZX, we were intrigued to see if the German brand would score another hit or suffer from the “difficult second album syndrome”. As we reported in our ‘first look’, weight is on a par with the Ultremo ZX, and so with nothing saved in the weight stakes, Schwalbe have been forced to look elsewhere for marginal gains.
They have included a fibre band to improve puncture resistance and what they call a ‘snakeskin’ sidewall protection. Armed with these technologies, we can happily report no punctures during the test period to date. This may have been good fortune, but we were happy not to have been stood by the side of the road all the same. It is also worth noting that the changeable conditions replaced summer about a month ago have washed a grit and mud onto the lanes. These can cause more cuts and nicks, and we would usually install a winter tyre at this point in the season, but so far the One has held up well.
Grip levels have been superb. The One is a racing tyre and so sans tread, relying entirely on its soft compound for purchase. We submitted the One to the sternest test on one recent ride: a close encounter with a deer gripped by the sudden desire for a change of scene and choosing the middle of the road. Our sudden deceleration resulted in no skidding or loss of control, although it did scare yours truly witless.
We experimented with tyre pressures, all within Schwalbe’s recommended pressure range of between 85 and 145psi. We rolled on our regular 120psi in the dry, but found that dropping to 100psi in the wet made for more confident cornering and braking.
Schwalbe are manufacturing the One as handmade tubulars, clinchers and tubeless, so have all bases are covered. While we haven’t raced on these tyres, it’s likely that their WorldTour credentials will stretch to the local crit or sportive. Combined with the recently reviewed Spada Stiletto wheelset, they have certainly added a turn of speed to the our trusty Kinesis Racelight TK3 test rig, and we would highly recommend them.
Price: £41.99 (clincher); £54.99 (tubeless); £84.99 (tubular)
Size: 23c, 25c, 28c (clincher and tubeless); 22c, 24c, 26c, 28c (tubular)
Colour: black
Website: Schwalbe UK
